Running The Bob requires complex game plan

Ever wonder what keeps UD running smoothly? Up Close & Personnel, a new weekly feature, profiles the employees who keep UD ticking around the clock throughout the year. This week the focus is on UD's Office of Alumni and University Relations.

Domenick Sicilia (right), director of Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, and Sylvester “Vest” Johnson, the center’s associate director

6:11 p.m., May 26, 2004--The combination of team spirit, commitment and endurance that makes champions out of sports teams is essential for the administrators and staff who run the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center.

The center is the site for some 100 athletic, academic, community, entertainment and commercial events every year.

The center, nicknamed The Bob, is surrounded by several athletic facilities, collectively known as the David M. Nelson Athletic Complex, which was named in memory of the former UD athletic director, dean and head football coach.

The complex includes the 22,000-seat Delaware Stadium, home of the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA national champion Fightin’ Blue Hens football team; the Fred P. Rullo Stadium, a 2,000-seat, lighted ActionTurf field for field hockey and lacrosse; Delaware Field House, an indoor track and practice facility; the 2,000-seat Bob Hannah Baseball Stadium; the Outdoor Pool; the Fred Rust and the Gold ice arenas; and several athletic fields.

Other sports, such as lacrosse, softball, track and soccer, are played outside the center, but most facilities are shared and each event has an impact on anything else going on in the complex, Domenick Sicilia, director of Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center, said.

“We have to be conscious of it because of parking and logistics,” Sicilia said. “It takes a lot of coordination, and we have to trust each other. In a word, our job basically comes down to communication, and communication doesn’t necessarily mean talking, giving information--it includes listening, supervisors listening to subordinates.”

Karen Lofthouse, events coordinator, and George Watson, maintenance and technical coordinator

Karen Lofthouse, events coordinator, said scheduling events at the center is a challenging job, but athletic activities always receive first priority.

“My job presents a daily challenge in working with potential clients to bring in new events and also working with returning clients on scheduling, planning, paperwork and whatever else might be necessary,” Lofthouse said.

A core of four staff—plus four full-time custodial workers and dozens of student employees—runs the center, and backup workers come on as needed from other parts of the University during major events, Lofthouse said.

“For our last sellout, the Michael W. Smith concert on November 7, we had 35 event staff, 14 public safety officers, four custodial workers, two electricians and several professional staff to handle cash settlements,” Lofthouse said.

George Watson, maintenance and technical coordinator, said the center’s administration works as a team and “because of that we do a pretty good job. It’s a great job because it gives me the opportunity to give back to families and the community.”

Carol Goubeaud, a custodian who has worked at The Bob for nine years, said working with pleasant colleagues, the chance to enjoy great and unusual events and the satisfaction of making the center clean and tidy far outweighs any tough days. But, her work has led to a total distaste for popcorn, which poses a cleanup problem. “I detest popcorn! I don’t put popcorn in my house. The site of popcorn anywhere tweaks my last nerve!”

Carol Goubeaud, a custodian who has worked at The Bob for nine years

“The strangest event we do is an annual cat show,” Lofthouse said. “It is just so different from our usual type of events. Even the clients are a little unusual--their lives are centered on cats and it shows in their clothes, conversations and lifestyles.”

Students, who usually work as ticket-takers and ushers, bring an important and youthful perspective to the day-to-day operations, Sicilia said.

“One of the first [rock] groups we had here was Phish in 1993,” Sicilia said. “We had no idea who they were when we heard the group was being considered. My son mentioned this group to me, and the student workers started saying, ‘Phish! Phish!’ It turned out to be one of the best concerts we’ve ever had.”

Sylvester “Vest” Johnson, the center’s associate director, said working in the complex teaches students responsibility and hard work.

“It’s a great place for them to work and think about what they want to do,” Johnson said. “It’s very detail-oriented. People who work here have to be self-starters.”

Besides hosting a wide range of campus events, UD’s Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center has proven to be an attractive venue for many community events. For example, this May and June, The Bob will host 17 local high school graduation ceremonies.

The schools slated to use The Bob are DelTech, Hodgson, Christiana, Newark, Glasgow, William Penn, A.I. duPont, McKean, Dickinson, Brandywine, Concord, Mt. Pleasant, Howard, Delcastle, Garnet Valley, Pa., Unionville, Pa., and Avon Grove, Pa.

When sitting behind his desk, Sicilia can see most of the 82 autographed pictures of stars and dignitaries who have been to the center, which are displayed on a wall in the reception area. They include Ross Perot, the Statler Brothers, Faith Hill and Colin Powell.

Sicilia summed up his responsibility: “If an event goes well, I am invisible. If an event has problems, I take responsibility. The key is always to make things go smoothly. That’s made easier because we have a tremendous staff, and we trust each other.”

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photos by Kathy Atkinson

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